Leaked E-mail: Iraq Shuts Down Its Internet, Again

Leaked email from an Iraqi ISP alerting recipients of an impending Internet shutdown on May 16, 2016,

Iraq is shutting down its Internet again, but this time not for security reasons. A leaked email that originated from an Iraqi Internet service provider (ISP) and was shared with SMEX confirms that on May 16, 2016, the Internet will be shutdown for three hours, from 5 a.m. to 8 a.m., “in all regions of Iraq.” The email was also posted on the Tech4Peace Facebook page.

Internet traffic analysts Dyn Research and Akamai also confirmed that there have been traffic anamolies in Iraq on May 14, 15, and 16:

An Iraqi blogger with the Iraqi Network for Social Media, Muhannad Hameed, explained to SMEX over WhatsApp that the Internet shutdown coincides with Iraqi official exams for secondary and high schools and was implemented to prevent cheating. A similar shutdown was also implemented in 2015. In the wake of that shutdown, free expression and human rights organizations sent a letter protesting the move to the Iraqi minister of communication, but to date have received no response.

Government-ordered Internet shutdowns are at best a disproportionate response to undesirable use of the internet. At worst, they are a gross violation of human and civil rights and pose real risks to people trying to communicate for a wide variety of reasons. What’s more, there is no proof that Internet shutdowns help governments achieve their goals, whether its to improve security or to prevent cheating.

According to Access, a global digital rights advocacy organization that has recently launched the #KeepItOn campaign, an internet shutdown is “an intentional disruption of internet or electronic communications, rendering them inaccessible or effectively unusable, for a specific population or within a location, often to exert control over the flow of information.” In 2015, Access documented shutdowns in 15 countries, including in Algeria, Iraq, and Yemen. According to SMEX sources, Lebanon has also experienced shutdowns in and around Tripoli, but we have not yet been able to document these interruptions of service.

We join our Iraqi friends and request from the Iraqi government not to shut down the Internet anymore.

About mohamad

Mohamad is advocacy and policy director at Social Media Exchange (SMEX). He has initiated and contributed to several successful online campaigns, such as #stopthislaw and #ProtectPrivacy, and is currently focused on bringing together knowledgeable and progressive voices to push for sound Internet governance in the Arab region. He tweets as @MoNajem and blogs for SMEX and Global Voices Advocacy.

42 Responses to Leaked E-mail: Iraq Shuts Down Its Internet, Again

Telecommunications and Post Company] instructions, please be informed that all the Circuits will be shutdown tomorrow 15-5-2016 by the ITPC in the period from 5:00AM to 8:00AM. During this time all the Internet connectivity will be turned.

The relationship between sex and happiness wasn’t quite as strong among the 238 married people in the study, but the basic relationship—the more sex, the more likely one reported being very happy—still held. What’s more, those who were married and had sex more often were also more likely to feel very good about their marriage than those married people who had sex less frequently

[…] commented on this week's outages, nor has it posted anything to its Facebook page. In an email obtained by the human rights group SMEX, an Iraqi internet service provider alerted customers that the […]

[…] A leaked email by Iraqi ISP, obtained by Lebanon based technology and human rights group SMEX, specified the timings of the outages. The service provider also posted on a Facebook page warning the country that access to the internet would be blocked. The announcement read: “As per the Ministry of Communications and ITPC [Iraqi Telecommunications and Post Company] instructions, please be informed that all the Circuits will be shutdown tomorrow 15-5-2016 by the ITPC in the period from 5:00AM to 8:00AM. During this time all the Internet connectivity will be turned off in all regions of Iraq.” […]

[…] the world. The reason? So students didn’t cheat on their exams. Each block, according to the Social Media Exchange, took place between 5am and 8am, dictated by the Ministry of Communications across “all […]

[…] world. The reason? So students didn’t cheat on their exams. Each block, according to the Social Media Exchange, took place between 5am and 8am, dictated by the Ministry of Communications across “all […]

[…] the world. The reason? So students didn’t cheat on their exams. Each block, according to the Social Media Exchange, took place between 5am and 8am, dictated by the Ministry of Communications across “all […]

[…] network access to prevent exam cheating is not uncommon in the region; in May, the Iraqi government ordered daily internet shutdowns lasting from 5am to 8am as a measure to stop cheating in high school […]

[…] reporting” of ballot numbers. In May, the Iraqi government blacked out the Internet to keep sixth graders from cheating on national exams. Algeria did the same in December of last year to prevent students from […]

[…] “illegal reporting” of ballot numbers. In May, the Iraqi government blacked out the Internet to keep sixth graders from cheating on national exams. Algeria did the same in December of last year to prevent students from […]

[…] “illegal reporting” of ballot numbers. In May, the Iraqi government blacked out the Internet to keep sixth graders from cheating on national exams. Algeria did the same in December of last year to prevent students from […]

[…] “illegal reporting” of ballot numbers. In May, the Iraqi government blacked out the Internet to keep sixth graders from cheating on national exams. Algeria did the same in December of last year to prevent students from […]

[…] to the Internet, a myriad of other reasons have also been used. In May 2016, SMEX reported that the Iraqi government shut down the Internet in all regions of the country for several hours to prevent cheating on […]